Safety clothespin



T. R. MATHEWS April 7, 1925.

SAFETY CLOTHESPIN Filed May 1, 1923 gmwm Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES rssasie PA'rsur orrics.

SAFETY CLOTHESPIN.

Application filed May 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE R. MATH- nws, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Le Sueur and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a SafetyClothespin, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to clothes pins and more particularly to animproved device for holding clothes to a clothes line or wire.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved clothespin of this character which will hold the clothes in position on theline when they are hung up for drying and which cannot be accidentallyor casually displaced until the locking element is released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clothes pin of thischaracter which will facilitate the hanging up and taking down of theclothes from the line and which may be readily removed without damagingor soiling the clothes.

Other objects of the invention will appear upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein VFigure 1 is a side elevation of the pin constructed in accordance withmy invention.

Figure 2 is a view of the opposite side of the pin.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line %4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a cross section taken onthe line of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, the pin comprises twocomplementary members 1 and 2, the lower ends of which form the legs 3of the clothes pin and each of these eggs is provided with cross groovesor serrations -1- which are adapted to register with each other when thepin is closed to form the apertures for receiving the line or wire uponwhich the clothes are hung. The two members 1 and 2 are pivotallyconnected together by pivot pins 5 and the upper portions of the members1 and 2 of the pin 5, form the head of the pin, comprising the twosections G and 7. When the members 1923. Serial No. 635,924.

1 and 2 are formed on the pivot 5 as indicated by dotted line in Figure2, the head sections 6 and 7 will be separated and the legs 3 will alsobe widely spaced apart to permit the pin to be applied or removed asdesired.

To lock the pin in operative position a locking ring 8 is employed forthe head sections 6 and 7, and this locking ring consists of asubstantially semi-circular member 9 having inturned pinions 10 receivedin properly located sockets in the head section 7 whereby the lockingring may be pivotally swung over or away from the corresponding headsection 6, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2. Obviously, when the lockingring 9 is in applied position as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the headsect-ions 6 will be maintained in an operative position lreeping thelegs 3 of the pin in registration so that it will be impossible toseparate them until the locking ring 9 is disconnected. By moving thelocking ring upwardly by swinging it on the pinio-ns 10, the headsection 6 may be free to swing outwardly when the sections 1 and 2 ofthe pin are swung on the pivot member 5.

Minor changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdepart-ing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claimhereunto appended.

iVhat I claim is:

A clothes pin comprising a pair of sections, pivotally connectedtogether, the upper portions of the said sections forming head sectionsof the pin, the portions below the pivot forming the legs of the pin,one of said head sections being provided with sockets. a locking ringcomprising a substantially semi-circular member having its free endsequipped with pivots to be received in said sockets, said locking ringbeing adapted to extend around and embrace the other head section,whereby the head sections may be locked when the leg sections are inoperative engaging position.

In testimony whereof, I have attired my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THEODORE R. MATHEWS. Vitnesses FRANK FLowiins. H. H. FLOWERS.

